Ancestry of Pierce Brigginton Collet

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks again for your message.

As you have a parish name for Pierce it is a good start. Yet, as I mentioned in my response to your query about Mary, it may be difficult to find records dating back as far as 1765. If you go to the Irish Times website they give you an overview of what records are available in specific parishes. In Thomastown parish, records do not begin until c. 1782. This is earlier than most parishes, but still not early enough for you. Here is a link to see what records are available:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseaction=showidrecords&CityCounty=Kilkenny&parish=Thomastown&churchid=1032

You may find some records in Church of Ireland registers. Check http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42 and http://www.nationalarchives.ie/.  The Anglican Record Project is has created an index to their records: http://ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/AboutUs/library/AngRecord/bunclodyunionindex.pdf

If Pierce was in England when he was tried and sentenced to transportation you will find records of this in the UK National Archives. Here is the link:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/transportees.htm

In my previous response to you, I gave you a list of websites that may be helpful and details of the family history centre in Kilkenny. Please refer to that message. Here is the link:

http://www.irelandxo.com/group/county-kilkenny/messages/mary-hardwick

Remember to post as much information as you can with regard to the people you are researching. The more information you post, the more likely it is that one of our volunteers will be able to advise or assist you. Also include information concerning which sources you may have already used so others may further your search.

I would also recommend posting this message on the Thomastown parish page so that volunteers in the area will be more likely to see it.

Kind regards,

Genealogy Support

Pierce Collet (his name has been spelt like this in a lot of documents) and Mary Hardwick were married in 1795 in the Parish of Stepney St Dunstan and All Saints, in the Borough of Tower Hamlets, London.  Mary was English.  There are lots of documents on Ancestry.com in regards to the two of them, although nothing on how he was to have come to be in England. 

Not sure that I have ever seen that middle name though.

There are lots of 'trees' on ancestry as well, newspapers articles in the National Library in Canberra too. Also books about Collit's Inn in the Blue Mountains. But nothing more about Kilkenny than he was born in Thomastown in 1763 - 1765.  I too would love to know more about his Irish ancestry.

regards

Wendy

Hi Emma

I said in an earlier reply that Mary Hardwick was English. I had previously had her as Irish and then had seen her Baptism on ancestry (which was in England), so I thought I must have had it wrong.  It appears that she was Irish after all.

David Rawsthorne has a website  http://www.davidrawsthorne.com/tree/index.php

On this website Collet is spelt Collits.  David's information has that Mary was born in Ireland in 1769 but baptised in England in 1770 - there is also a copy of the baptism certificate there.  He also has details of her parents.  Not sure of his sources though.

David has nothing further on Pierce though.

regards

Wendy

(descendent of Pierce and Mary)

There is a lot of information in Australian records of Pierce Collet also spelt Collits.

This site gives a good background on him.

http://www.muchamore.id.au/collits.html

After serving his time Pierce was given a grant of land, details follow:

n 1823 Pierce and his family settled at the foot of Mount York, on the western edge of the Blue Mountains, where he had his first Inn. It was origianlly called "The Golden Fleece", then renamed "The Royal Garter", but today it is commonly known as "Collits Inn". The Inn was first licenced in 1830 under the name of "The Royal Garter", and renewed in 1831. Collits Inn became the first stop after the descent of the Mountains. An article appears in the "Sydney Gazette" dated 25th March, 1824, describing a travellers stay at the Inn. Governor Bourke also mentions his visit to the Inn in his journals.

The Inn is believed to have been built by Pierce Collits in 1823, and to this day the house is still occupied. It is of weatherboard construction and has its original shingle roof under the present corrugated iron roof. The old water well is visible at the rear of the Inn.

Hello:

Manyh thanks for your post of 12 November with the information about Collits Inn.  Please consider creating an Ancestor profile for this family on our Ancestors database.  You can click the link below:  https://irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/history-and-genealogy/ancestor-database

Many thanks for your post and for your interest in Ireland Reaching Out.

Kind regards,

Jane

we have a facebook page for descendants of Pierce and Mary-please join if you are family

https://www.facebook.com/groups/282359249602043/

My 2/-Bob's worth:

Talk to me about COLLET(T), and I'll go straight to Cornwall, or Devon-Cornwall, as local Devon lads in their early 20s taught me last year: "We're not English, we're from Devon-Cornwall"

There are COLLETT going way back in Kernow. I shall now look into the origin of my Collett ancestors. Most interesting.  I'll get back on that one.

Never, ever get hung up on "spelling". There were 'scribes'who would record according to how his/her ear heard the spoken word.  Not too long ago there was a Family Archive story told here (on 'XO) re a marriage at Enniskillen, citing the surname "RINN" as written. I queried this as an Irish (Gaelic) name. The resolution was a case of scribing as the ear hears.  The intended surname was ordinarily WREN of English origin.  Consider how differenttly the word 'rinn'or 'wren' will appear from the mouth of an Australian or New Zealand speaker; let alone a native of Co. Limerick or a broad Scot!

Came across this post, as you do, whilst researching Pierce. I've been considering for a very long time that perhaps Pierce came to be born in Ireland by chance. That perhaps his parents, or his mother at the very least, were here for a short time and then went back to England. The questions that rise from this assumption is How did they get there and why did they go, then when did they return? Was it a military posting?  The other question that I have been thinking of is that perhaps his surname was Collins or Colin or something else and that the language barrrier casued the confusion and misspelling. The fact that pierce signed his name when marrting Mary is an indication that he was educated. Is this a usual occurance for a native of Thomastown, Kilkenny who has no family records in the area? Many scenerios arise and I do not have the resources at this point in time to look into them further.

Perhaps someone out there has?

Alayne, NSW, Australia